Visiting Glacier National Park | What to Know & Things to Do
- Happy Nomads
- Dec 9, 2024
- 6 min read
Hey there! We’ve traveled to Glacier National Park in our RV two years in a row now, and I’m going to tell you what we’ve learned! This is seriously one of my favorite places that I’ve ever been, and I’m so grateful to have been able to visit a second time! This National Park is in the northwestern corner of Montana and borders Canada. The park actually continues up into Canada–which I've heard is spectacular, and we totally hope to visit someday.
When we visited in 2023, we had no idea what we were doing and only knew that we wanted to see this amazing place! Since we were traveling from Michigan, we figured it would make the most sense to stay on the eastern side of the park. Also, we were nervous to tackle any mountainous terrains with the RV, so we ended up at an RV park in St. Mary, Montana. We planned to do a day trip to the western side of the park, leaving our RV behind.
Since we had hardly planned anything at all, the east side of the park ended up being an accidentally great choice. We were able to easily access the St. Mary, Many Glacier, and Two Medicine entrances from this side. What we didn’t know is that there is hardly anything to do outside of visiting the park on this side. If you’re there to hike and explore the park, I think this trade-off is worth it. If you like exploring the surrounding towns, going out to eat, hanging out at breweries, etc., you’re going to want to visit the western side. If you have time and budget wiggle room, try to visit both sides!
Our RV park in St. Mary was great and fairly affordable. There were a handful of restaurants nearby, but once we visited the western side this year, our perspectives totally changed. With Glacier’s popularity increasing, I want to share our experiences and what we’ve learned to hopefully help some fellow adventurers plan their trips here. If you'd like to explore the park alongside us, check out our YouTube video!
First and foremost is the timed-entry reservation system–which you may have dealt with at other National Parks. But Glacier is a very large, very separated park, making it pretty tricky to navigate their timed entry system if you aren’t prepared. So, the West entrance to Going-to-the-Sun Road and the Many Glacier sections of the park both require timed entry currently (2024). If you stayed on the west side and planned to do, say, the popular Grinnell Glacier hike, you would need a timed entry for BOTH entrances. Also, the two entrances are roughly two hours apart and you’ll be driving over Going-to-the-Sun Road–which is nearly impossible to not stop every 5 miles while driving it (especially your first time). And so, we recommend the following when visiting Glacier National Park:
West side:
Spend 1-3 days here. Enjoy the hikes close to this entrance, drive Going-to-the-Sun Road at least to Logan Pass, explore Lake McDonald and Apgar Village.
This year, we did the Avalanche Lake trail (moderate) and Hidden Lake trail (hard) which were amazing and would totally recommend. Hidden Lake is difficult, long, and very steep but worth it. If you are physically able to do this hike, we would recommend it. Please be wary of wildlife! We saw mountain goats on the trail at Hidden Lake and a grizzly bear on the Avalanche Lake trail. Remember to bring your bear spray and not to approach wildlife. 😊
There’s also Highline trail which is ~14 miles round trip. We’ve yet to do it but maybe next year!
Kayak, swim, or hang out at Lake McDonald. Make at least a half day out of it! This lake is stunning and the fruity pebble rocks make it even more magical. We brought our kayaks with us, but you can rent them and paddle boards in Apgar Village. They also have a hotel, campground, restaurant, gift shop, and education center there.
If you bring your own kayaks into the park, they will have to be inspected! Even if you don’t plan to launch them, the Rangers will enforce the inspection. So definitely plan for that if you always have kayaks on your truck like we do...
Explore the areas just outside of the park. They have a huckleberry stand, lots of little restaurants, and fun shops! There are also river spots for swimming and enjoying nature outside of the park if you happen to bring your doggo like we did.
Hidden Lake trail, Avalanche Lake trail, and Lake McDonald
After you’re finished here, move onto the east side! If you just have a rental car or smaller vehicle, driving Going-to-the-Sun Road all the way up and over would be awesome. Definitely check the park’s vehicle limits for anything bigger, especially vans, truck campers, and RVs. We would not be able to take our RV on Going-to-the-Sun Road and we wouldn’t want to either, haha.
Once you’re settled on the east side, you’ll notice things are much more affordable and calmer. If it’s in your budget, I would highly recommend spending more time on this side.
East side:
Spend 3-5 days here. Enjoy the St. Mary’s, Many Glacier, and Two Medicine entrances.
Last year, we did the Grinnell Glacier hike (hard) which is steep and strenuous. It’s not too long of a hike and if you budgeted time for pacing it, I think it’s worth every step. The glacier is absolutely stunning and the view of Grinnell Lake is impeccable. This hike is in the Many Glacier area, along with other popular hikes. Grizzly bears are particularly active in this area, and typically, at least one trail is shut down due to bear activity, so definitely have a backup plan just in case. And bring your bear spray!
You will need a timed-entry reservation for the Many Glacier entrance.
Side note: I know you can rent bear spray on the west side. I’m not sure about the east side, but check with the Visitor’s Center and they will help you! 😊
Iceberg Lake and Cracker Lake are great alternative hikes (so I’ve heard!). Let me know if you hike them; I hope to in the future.
Highly recommend St. Mary’s Falls hike in the St. Mary’s area. I would make a day out of this and enjoy this entrance and all of the stunning pull-offs and overlooks. On the hike, you’ll pass St. Mary’s Falls which is a great swimming spot. You'll continue on to see Virginia Falls so you could swim first or on your way back to the parking area! We did this hike in the evening after work so we didn’t have time to swim but it is serene.
Take at least a half day to drive out to the Two Medicine entrance (currently does not need a timed-entry reservation, 2024). We drove out to this spot, walked along the lake, and enjoyed this quieter part of the park. The view is incredible. There are several hikes out in this area as well that we did not have the pleasure of enjoying. Let us know if you get out there and have any recs!
Virginia falls (St. Mary’s falls trail), Grinnell Glacier trail, and Two Medicine Lake
Make sure to set aside a day (preferably at the beginning of the trip) to drive the length of Going-to-the-Sun Road. There are so many beautiful pull-offs, things to see, and wildlife along this road. It is incredible and an entire experience in itself. If you feel nervous driving the road (I definitely do, haha), there are tour companies that will take you. Sit back and enjoy!
Photos taken along Going-to-the-Sun Road
As always, please treat each other with kindness on the roads and trails! 😊 Everyone is there to enjoy the same beautiful thing, and I hope to see more kindness in National Parks in my lifetime. These spaces are safe for the enjoyment of all and the protection of the wonderful plants & animals that live there.
Colorful rocks in Lake McDonald, a bighorn sheep on Grinnell Glacier trail, and sunset peaks on
St. Mary's Falls trail
Please feel free to reach out with any questions and I hope you enjoy your trip to one of the most beautiful places on Earth. If you're interested in where we camped and more details on our trip, check out our YouTube video below. Happy travels! <3
This is such great info, thank you!
What is a timed entry ? Great information !!